If there is such a thing as an open-minded fly angler, I like to consider myself one. I am genuinely committed to pursuing fish with fly tackle, and I will give almost any methods a college try to see if they work and, more importantly, if they make me happy in my pursuit of fish. Likewise, I am open to virtually all species, as ultimately, I find catching fish fun, irrespective of their pedigree. I struggle with fellow fly anglers' aversion to carp, for example. They are big, numerous, crafty, and they pull hard. Moreover, they are survivors that can provide great sport for thousands of anglers in a rapidly changing world. Granted, the shape of their mouth is a little off-putting at first, but that is their lot in life and not their fault.
Carp are part of the Cyprinidae family, as are masheer and barbel. Barbel are part of the Barbus genus, and their name is derived from the Latin word barba, meaning beard, which refers to their long pairs of barbles extending from the sides of their mouths. While they are very carp-like, they are also more elegant, streamlined, salmonid-shaped fish than carp, and they are great species to target with flies. There are many species of barbel, and they are found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The Mediterranean barbel is the only species I have fished for, while my partner Brian has also fished for a species in South Africa and Lesotho that are referred to locally as yellow fish. When planning my hosted trip to Spain with our outfitting partner Salvelinus, I wanted to go at a time when I could target barbel in addition to trout. Broadly speaking, that period is from mid-May through September. During these months, they can be targeted as they cruise near the shoreline on numerous impoundments, but the main attraction is sight fishing for them as they migrate out of lake systems into their feeder rivers.
One of the great appeals of fishing for them is that they tend to be numerous, and the hours fly by because of the target-rich environment. After a warm-up session one afternoon on a lake near the lodge, we headed out for a full day of barbel fishing to the lower reaches of a clear freestone river feeding a large reservoir. Driving in, we looked off a bridge into an arm of the reservoir and spotted lots of fish, some sporadically feeding on the surface. I was excited to see so many fish, but it did not prepare me for how many fish were in the river.
My fishing partner John headed upstream with our guide Ivan, and I stayed behind to fish on my own and walked downstream to the first broad, shallow tailout. Immediately, I saw dorsal fins and tails gently breaking the surface. The longer I looked, the more fish I saw. The fish were holding in very shallow water, and there were multiple singles, doubles, and triples within easy casting range. Game on!